Cedar City Fire Road 100K

This past weekend Lisa and I traveled to Cedar City for the new Fireroad Race. Doesn't sound super appealing does it? An endurance race all on fireroad with no singletrack to speak of. But this year Lisa has been focusing on endurance stuff on the road with lots of climbing and I always like the short XC races so this race gave us some good middle ground. Finally a race that we could both go to together. Plus, we figured, anytime you're in Southern Utah and on a mountain bike you're going to have a good day.

The race offered 3 distances - 100k, 60k, and a 25k. Lisa clearly was doing the 100k and I decided on the 60k with the single speed. We both agreed afterward that this was one of the best races we've ever been to. The course was a good as you could expect considering it's all fireroad. But the way the race was run was 2nd to none. We started with a neutral start down Main St. with a police escort. The town wasn't exactly buzzing with excitement at 8am, but nonetheless it was pretty cool. At about 3 miles we turned off the road and they waived the flag to go. On an open road with a slight downhill this was the last I'd see of the field. I was almost spinning out on the neutral rollout so when speeds went from 15mph to 30mph I didn't stand a chance.

There were some rolling hills early on, and then at mile 9 we hit the big climb. It lasted a good 8-10 miles and included a KOM race within the race. Cool thing for me was since I got so far behind on the flat stuff at the start I was able to continue to pass people the entire way up. I even got to ride with Lisa for a little bit. Once at the top the 100k racers made a right for their extra 40k loop and we peeled off to the left. The next 6-7 miles were mostly rolling hills. Then a long fast downhill with some great views. There were a few miles on the downhill that included a double track jeep trail that was pretty technical. It was a nice reminder that we were actually on mountain bikes. We eventually made it into town, rode by some houses, then a short stretch on the bike path, then around some baseball fields, and finally into the finish at Main Street Park.

I finished 1st in the 60k single speed (out of only 2 guys) and then managed a 3rd overall in the 60k out of 30+ guys. Lisa got in just under 6 hours and finished 3rd of 10+ women in the 100k and she even won a little cash for her effort. 1st place in the women's 100k was Paula Newby-Fraser who is somewhat of a legend in the triathlon world with 7 Women's Ironman titles. Men's 100k winner was Socal local Brent Prenzlow.

A few bonuses with this race
Great Support - 5 aid stations on course with at least water and gatorade
Great Location
Good Food - BBQ sandwiches after the race!
Goodie Bag - 2 shirts, cow bell, water bottle, wallet, lots of stuff from Clif Bar
Cheap Hotels
Great Weather (this may have been lucky as Thunderstorms are fairly frequent)
Friendly and helpful volunteers
It's in Southern Utah!!!!!!


Bearclaw Poppy - Can't think of a better spot for a pre-race spin.












A couple of 3rd places overall for our distances

















The day after we took a trip up to Cedar Breaks and then to Brianhead for a little lift assisted riding.












Special props go to all the people in Utah who knew of Don's Bikes. Especially the Cedar City local who wasn't even in the race, but found us after the race and told us he'd just bought a bike from Don's a few weeks before.

Newspaper Write-up

Lava Magazine Write-up

Race Website

12hrs of Temecula: June not-so-glume

A number of Don's riders came out to tear up a few laps at the 12hr race in June. The weather was perfect and the course proved to be challenging for everyone.

Here were some of the folks in the Don's line up:

1. First time Solo riders - Lisa, Russell and Marget
2. Veteran Solo - Chris Branson
3. 4-person SS - Jeff Stanners
4. 2-person - AL and Paul Romero

The solo riders did well in their classes, Jeff's team took the SS 4-person win, and Paul and I managed the 2-person class win.

This was the first race ever that Tinker entered the Pro/Open Solo class and didn't finish. Apparently he became sick and had to pull out. This left the 12hr solo open class wide open. Sure enough, up and coming endurance guy, Daniel Munoz, stole the show and $400 for the win. Good job Daniel!


Another up-and-coming young gun, Jarred Jordan, took the Under 18 solo win. Watch out for these guys in the future.


Oh ya, big thanks to Kat and Rachael for taking care of us in the pits. And congrats to Karen Lundgren who won the solo women's class, and Angela Myers and Matt Smith from Big Bear who finished their first 12hr race. Matt was super lucky and won the Spinnergy wheelset at the post-race raffle. How cool is that?

Huge thanks to Jason for putting on another great event.

Tell your friends. Tell your team. Just get off the couch and come out and join in the fun!

Traversed

To the Point

SoCal only offers a handful of point-to-point XC endurance races throughout the season, but if you are up for the challenge, the Traverse is definitely one to put on your calendar.

The Traverse is a slightly shorter version of it's big brother Vision Quest, but it still dishes out 46 miles and 8100ft of climbing pain. As the name suggests, you basically "traverse" all of the peaks across the Cleveland National Forest.

Sign-up Early!
And just like Vision Quest, the Traverse usually sells out in a just a matter of hours. Yes, that means you have to set your alarm for 12:00AM, get on your computer, and secure your entry as soon as sign-up site opens. It's a pain, but it's worth it. If you miss it, you can always watch the STR forum and buy someone's entry a few weeks beforehand .

The Race

This year's race had all of the usual suspects: Tinker, Manuel, Doug, Mario and so on. I've been racing with these guys for quite a few years now and not only are these guys some of the fastest riders around, they are also some of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

On the starting line we all got caught up and cracked a few jokes. As the race went on, Mario and I actually road about 4hrs of the race swapping back and fourth the whole way. We chatted a bit and joked a bit between gasps. I kept asking him how long it was to the next peak and he just kept saying "oh, about 5 or 10 minutes", which was a nice way of telling me "you think I'm going to tell you!". This was Mario's backyard...

The "S" really WORKS
The funniest thing about this whole race was that this was the second time this year that I rolled up to the starting line for a 4hr+ race with a bike that I had never really ridden before. How crazy is that? This time I was on a 29er SWORKS Epic.

I really have to give special thanks to Derek Herman from BVB for throwing this sweet ride together for me at the last minute. All I have to say is what an awesome machine! I used every inch fo the 29 wheels and the suspension when it came time to charge down the fireroads and single tracks at full speed. No flats and the bike handled great.

Get old, go faster...

Well, considering that I'm still way out of shape and I road a bike that I had never ridden before, I was happy to finish 6th behind the likes of Tinker, Manual, Doug, Daniel and Mario. See full results here.

And to top everything off, when I rolled up to the finish line, Doug Andrews (from Geoladders) handed me a frosty amber ale. What a great guy. Doug just turned 50 this year and he's still one of the strongest XC/endurance guys out there. Hats off my friend!

How's that for inspiration!

Anyhow, this was a great ride and a lot of fun. See everyone next year!
AL

13,000 Feet Up

Lisa Stanners (formerly Lisa Crowe) completed the first stage of the King of the Mountain Series. Saturday was the Mulholland Challenge Century. 112 miles with roughly 13,000 feet of climbing. Lisa finished with an unofficial time of 9 hours 44 minutes (official results not yet posted).

Picture from RockStorePhotos.

Next up will be Breathless Agony on May 7, 114 miles with 12,000 feet of climbing. This race will start in Redlands and finish in the Big Bear Area.

The final race in the KOM Series is the Heartbreak Hundred on May 28.

No Vision, but lots of Quest...

Six months ago the thought of racing one of most difficult and prestigious endurance races in SoCal sounded like a good idea. Of course the plan was to do lots of training beforehand, but living in the mountains derailed most of that. I counted and this was my 10th ride on a bike since January, and 3 of those were SS races!

So I guess you can say I had a lack of Vision but I definitely had a Quest.

Having done this race a few years ago, I knew what I was in for; long painful fireroad climbs, tire popping descents, and a long, rocky hike-a-bike at the end.

New Ride

What I didn't anticipate was building and riding a brand new bike just days before. My new Ellsworth Enlightenment rolled in, and thanks to a few friends in high places, I was able to get all the parts I needed to build it up. I only manged to get one ride on it to make sure it shifted right and I figured I was good go.

This was definitely one of the fanciest and lightest bikes I've ever ridden! You gotta check them out.

The race

In short, the pros (Manny, Tinker, Doug...) the took off faster than you can imagine. I managed to hang off the back for the first 1.5 hrs and then popped like a pool floatie left out in the sun. After that I realized I needed to chill out to finish.

Shortly afterwards I ran in Gerry Cody and Ben Bostrom on the first nasty decent. I stopped and gave Gerry my air tool and then asked Ben if he needed help. He crashed bad and was pretty bloody. He said he was ok and was going to stop at the aid station below. As luck would have it, with no air tools, I semi-flatted at bottom and road most of the next climb on a low rear.

The rest of the race was fairly uneventful, just slow - for me anyway. The biggest bummer was flatting on the last descent to the finish. Everyone that I had caught and passed, passed me back again. Everyone had also already given up their air, but thanks to Chris from the Don's team who stopped and threw me one of his last CO2s.

It's not over until you crash...

The last crazy thing that happened was when I approached the finish line, I kind of got off the trail a little and they were waving me in. When I cross this ditch full of leaves, my front wheel disappeared and endoed at about 20 mph. Everyone saw. Nice!

I think I finished in about 6hrs 30min, which I thought was pretty good considering everything that happened.

The Bike

As for the bike, it was totally awesome. It was definitely the lightest bike I've ever ridden (right around 22lbs)! Since it was my first ride on it, I definitely took it easy, but everything worked perfect. The frame was strong and absorbed everything I threw at it. The only issue I had was that my front derailleur locked itself into the small ring about half way through the race and since SRAM uses torx bolts and my toolset only had allen keys, I ended up single ringing it for most of the race. No biggy, I ride SS most of the time anyways.

Lessons Learned

1. There's no training like actually riding your bike.

2. Heavier tires are always the way to go for endurance races.

3. Don't assemble and ride your bike the day before a giant race.

4. You will never be as good as your bike is!

Lastly, I gotta give a shout out to Adam Hart. I bumped into him on the trail the week before the race, and he gave me a little inspiration to get out there and get it done. And plus, he and his wife even drove our sorry asses out to the race 3:00 AM! Thanks bud.

AL

Back in the saddle again

A long, hard 2010...

2010 was a tough year for everyone. The housing market was upside down, getting a job was virtually impossible, gas prices were off the charts, and finding the time and inspiration to ride was more difficult than ever.

My biggest challenge was losing my best friend and riding partner, Robert Bender, due to cancer.

As bad luck would have it, I was on my way to the 12hrs of Temecula in November, where the Bike For Bender campaign was in full swing, when I stopped by to visit Rob in the hospital at 4:30 AM. Long story short, I came out Sunday afternoon - minus a friend. I know everything happens for a reason, but I can’t believe he passed away on the same weekend as race! We had been racing this series together from the beginning of time. Every day, my prayers go out to him and his family. RIP my friend.

And for those of you who were at the race, I just wanted to thank everyone who entered the Bike For Bender category, donated for a wristband or just showed support in some way. You all made the campaign a huge success! His family is forever grateful.

Now for 2011...

The great thing about each new year is that you get a chance to start all over again. For some, it's a new beginning. For me, it definitely is.

To be honest, racing has been the last thing on my mind: I just moved to Big Bear a few months ago, my folks were just down for Christmas, and the local mountains have been aching me to go snowboarding, shoeing and skiing a lot more than cycling!

And then over the Christmas break, my friend Paul Romero slid a question my way rather nonchalantly:

"You want to team up for the 12hrs of Temecula in January?"

For the first time in my life, I actually had to think about it. I just lost my riding partner, I hadn't been training and I wasn't motivated to race at all. But, reluctantly, I agreed. Paul is a great guy, a strong rider, a great sportsman and good friend. I had no reason to say no.

In the end, I knew it was the right thing to do. Plus, Rob would have kicked my ass for not stepping up! We named our team: Powered By Bender in his honor.

12hrs #1 - In the books

And as luck would have it, Paul and I managed to slug out 15 laps and take home the 2 Person team win. I was dreading it all week, but when I arrived at the race, all of those thoughts went out the window and I found peace and excitement in the air once again. I was surrounded by great people, new competitors, and a long 12hr challenge.

So huge thanks to Paul for inspiring me to get out there and get it done, Jason Ranoa for putting on a great event, and the fans for supporting everyone coming through the finish line. It was great to be out there.

Now I’m looking forward to whole new season of good times, good riding, and good fun, and with of course, good friends.

And remember, every day on a bike is a good day.

AL

6 Hours of Bootleg Canyon

For the 2nd year in a row I decided to head out to Bootleg Canyon for this race. Not being much of an endurance person (I usually consider a 90 minute xc race endurance), a 6 hour solo race is a good test for me. Bootleg Canyon gives you fun and technically challenging trails. The course was completely different from last year. It was about 6.1 miles with about 5.8 of those miles on good singletrack. Last year's course was a little shorter, but also a little tougher technically. Both courses were a lot of fun. I don't have any pictures from this year's race but here is one from last year.


Other than Super D's, this was the first Le Mans start I've been in. We had about 150yd run to the bikes and then we were off. I tried to take it real easy on the run, but I was still one of the first to reach the bikes. About 150yds of riding and we hit the pump track (yes, a pump track was part of this 6 hour race each and every lap). It was fun, but very different 6 laps in while trying to eat a sandwich.

After the first 2 laps I started to plan my race and figure out how many laps I could finish. I was coming in at around 40 minutes each lap. That would work out to 9 laps, but that would be with no breaks and being able to maintain that pace. That wasn't going to happen, so I set my sights on 8 laps. I tried to spend as little time as possible in the pits. Just long enough to change bottles and maybe grab something to eat. I switched bikes partway through just to give my body a little break. As the day went on 8 laps was looking less and less likely. My back had been hurting since lap 2, and on lap 6 my knees started hurting.

I took off on lap 7 and in doing the math it didn't look like I'd make it. I made the decision that I'd enjoy lap 7 as much as I could and then finish. It was getting cold and my knees were really hurting, but I still had as much fun as I could on the downhill section towards the finish. I came through the finish line, stopped my Garmin and started to walk back to the car. Then I noticed the official clock, and saw it was about 10 minutes behind the actual time. That'd give me just enough time to hurry back to the car, put on my light and some warmer clothes and then head out for my 8th lap. Part of me was disappointed as I was looking forward to laying down, but I was mostly excited to get that 8th lap in.

Lap 8 felt better than lap 7. Only trouble was I forgot to restart my Garmin when I started the lap. About 15 minutes into the lap I realized my Garmin wasn't running and I wasn't sure how much time I had left. It wasn't until the last 6-7 minutes where this got me. The last little bit of the lap is uphill and all I could think about was crossing that finish line 1 or 2 minutes after 5:00 and not getting credit for my lap. That little uphill at the end was excrutiating, and on the first few laps it didn't even seem like it was uphill. I pushed on and came through at 4:56.

Props to the promoters for putting on a fun race and for getting the awards done right away. It's very appreciated when there's a 4 hour drive ahead. Plus a cool goodie bag with a t-shirt, beer mug, and sunglasses. And the table with Hammer Gel, Heed, and other snacks at the end of each lap was a great bonus.

Preliminary results are posted and from what I can tell I was 9th out of 29 solo riders in the 6 hour open division. My race is here - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58225256
Approx 50 miles, 6000' of climbing, 6 hours.

All the race info is here - http://www.sunsetracing.com/events/bootleg-canyon-12

It's a good one to put on your calendar for next year.

Jeff